LUCRETIA HAWS
Daughter of Hannah Neal and Jacob Haws
Her mother's father was a wealthy slave-owner. Her father was a farmer and raised stock. He also ran a hand ferry boat on the Green River.
Lucretia was a spirited young lady, eager to be a pioneer. She with her parents, left Kentucky while she was young and moved to Illinois where they lived on a farm. Her father also raised stock. The Haws family could have moved to Illinois around the same time as the Solomon Sessions family as her father, Jacob, and Solomon Sessions were neighbors in Kentucky. At the age of 19, Lucretia married Solomon's son, Richard Sessions on 14 Apr 1821 in White Co. Illinois. Richard was a volunteer in the Black Hawk War in Illinois.
Lucretia and her husband joined the Mormon church in Wayne Co. Illinois. They were baptized on 12 August 1843 and moved into Nauvoo with the main body of saints in 1843. They had a lovely home sight close to where the Nauvoo Temple was being built. Here they lived until they were driven out by the anti-Mormon mobs. This was a very sad time for the saints. The Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, had been murdered by a mob on 27 June 1944. Now the new leader, Brigham Young was organizing the saints to abandon their homes and the temple to march into the west wilderness.
Lucretia's youngest child, Hannah, had just been born on the 19th of January 1846. They started westard on the 16th of July 1846. It was difficult to leave many things behind and take only the bare necessities. In their party were 12 children, a daughter-in-law, Lucretia's mother-in-law, Mary, and two spinster daughters, Sarah and Liddy Caroline Hargrave. There were many essentials to bring. Each family had separate wagons until they reached Mt. Pisgah. There they lived in a tent and a wagon box set off on logs.
It was still spring when they reached Mt. Pisgah so they planted corn as well as sweet and white potatoes. They lived on a creek bottom and bought a field of corn that was already planted on the prairie.
Richard Sessions's brother, John, married Emeline Sessions, who was his second cousin and a daughter of Richard Sessions Sr. It was about a week after their marriage when they heard the cry of Brigham Young for men to join the Mormon Battalion. The U.S. Government was asking for 500 volunteers to help fight the war with Mexico. Richard, his two oldest sons, John and his new bride, Emeline, and William Bradford joined the cause and left for Council Bluff to be inducted. It is believed they were the only family to furnish 4 members for the Battalion.
Lucretia was left with the rest of the family to care for. Daniel Alexander was left in charge. He was 15 at the time but was a great help to her. Times were hard, but they managed.
Six weeks after they left, Richard's mother, Mary Hargrave Sessions died. Two weeks later Liddy died and Sarah died in the fall. They could have died of malaria, as there were many mosquitos along the river. Lucretia decided it was so unhealthy on the creek bottom they moved to higher ground. A large, young family was a heavy burden for Lucretia to carry. However, they managed to move on to Council Bluff. There they waited until Richard and William were discharged in California and returned to get the family.
They left Winter Quarters in the Company P wagon train and arrived in Salt Lake in 1850. Their first Utah home was in Cottonwood. They then decided to settle in Provo Valley in 1859 and were among the first families to locate there.
She again said goodbye to her husband when the Black Hawk War broke out and he was sent to guard Heber Valley from the raids. They then moved to Heber where they farmed. She was very happy here in Heber and she became very active in both Civic and Church affairs. When word of Johnston's Army came out her husband, again, was called upon to go and explore all the routes and mountain passes.
Their daughter Emeline married Charles Carter Thomas and their's was the first marriage ceremony to be performed in Wasatch Co.
They were blessed with the following children:
| 1. John | born 22 August 1821 |
| 2. Sarah Ann | born l8 December l822 |
| 3. Richard | born 25 September 1823 |
| 4. William Bradford | born 23 January 1827 |
| 5. Daniel Alexander | blessed 11 January 1829 |
| 6. Mary | born l8 February l83l |
| 7. Laura (Louise Marion) | born 26 July 1833 |
| 8. Eliza Jane | born 15 November 1836 |
| 9. Melisse | born 11 March 1838 |
| l0. Emeline | born 1 May 1840 |
| 11. Elizabeth | born 21 August 1842 |
| 12. Hannah | born 19 January 1846 |
